On Wednesday, March 14, students across the United States will participate in a national walkout to honor the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, as well as to push for Congress to pass gun control laws.

Interrupting school with a walkout is the wrong medium to do this.

Walking out of class does not honor the victims as much as cause a disturbance.

A candle-light vigil would be a more appropriate way to honor the victims and could involve students, teachers, parents, and administrators.

Also, the walkout comes a month after the shooting. It seems a bit late to honor the victims in such a fashion.

What do we really accomplish with a walkout?

Unity?

Awareness?

We could accomplish these with a simple ceremony or moment of silence, yet we choose to hold a disruptive protest.

Since when is a walkout ever meant to honor someone?

It’s like holding a political rally at a funeral. It takes away from the event’s meaning.

Yet another negative of the walkout is that I believe the meaning of Kearsley’s protest doesn’t match the national movement’s goal.

A goal of the national walkout is to push for gun control.

I see Kearsley’s walkout as a means to raise awareness of school safety, as well as to honor the victims.

Why would we choose to walk out on the same day for a different cause? It causes confusion about our walkout’s message.

I see the walkout for Kearsley students as meaning to honor the victims and promote school safety, yet there isn’t a rational person who doesn’t want schools to be safe.

Also, Republican leaders in Congress recently proposed some measures to increase funding for school safety after the Parkland shooting.

The protest seems to lack a significant audience.

I believe that we should do something to honor the victims of the Parkland shooting. However, I feel the medium is wrong.

We should go about the plans to honor the victims in an after-school setting. It would cause less disturbance to classes and could involve more students who may be afraid of leaving class or don’t want to miss instruction.

I respect other people’s choice to protest, as it is their constitutional right, which is one of the things that makes our country so great.

However, I will not be participating in the walkout. I encourage others who feel as I do to do the same.